Dubai T100 Triathlon Championship

With less than a month remaining, the Dubai T100 Triathlon World Championship Final is poised to set the city ablaze with an intense face-off among the world’s elite athletes.

This event marks the conclusion of the inaugural T100 World Tour, featuring top male and female competitors vying for supremacy on November 16 and 17.

The T100 Triathlon World Tour spans seven races, challenging triathletes with a unique format of a 2 km swim, 80 km bike, and 18 km run, across iconic global locations.

Throughout the series, athletes have garnered points from competitions in Miami, Singapore, San Francisco, London, Ibiza, and Las Vegas.

Dubai's grand finale offers the last opportunity for the top PTO World Ranked athletes to earn additional points as they aim to become the first T100 World Champion.

Each athlete’s total score will be the sum of their three best performances of the season plus their result from the Dubai T100 Triathlon World Championship Final.

Besides crowning the first T100 World Champions, the final will also determine the division of the record-breaking $7 million prize pool.

Leading the men’s category by 19 points is three-time Olympian Marten Van Riel. The Belgian secured his first T100 win earlier this year in a thrilling sprint finish with Kyle Smith and Germany’s Rico Bogen at San Francisco’s “Escape from Alcatraz” course.

He followed this with a remarkable victory in Ibiza, becoming the first male to win two T100 titles. Another stellar performance in Las Vegas recently earned him a silver medal, solidifying his lead in the overall men’s standings.

During his last visit to Dubai in 2022, Van Riel claimed victory in the IRONMAN 70.3 Dubai. “It feels incredible to top the rankings after an amazing race in Vegas this weekend,” said Van Riel.

“Winning the T100 series would be a significant milestone in my career, but there’s still a long way to go, with many fast competitors ready to challenge me in Dubai next month.

“I’ve had excellent results racing in Dubai before, and I love the city’s energy, so I’m excited to return and give it my all.”

With just five points separating the remaining top-five athletes, the race is wide open. Ranked second is Danish star Magnus Ditlev, who has had an outstanding season with wins at the inaugural 2024 T100 World Tour event in Miami and Challenge Roth.

Third in the rankings is New Zealand’s Kyle Smith, who will also compete in Dubai. A wildcard entrant into the 2024 T100 series, Smith has proven he deserves his place among the elites.

This follows a dramatic sprint finish at the San Francisco T100 Triathlon where he was narrowly beaten to second place by Van Riel, and another second-place finish at the London T100.

Fan-favorite Alistair Brownlee from Great Britain will also compete in Dubai. He is the only triathlete to have completed the grand slam of Olympic, World, European, and Commonwealth titles.

The women’s competition is equally impressive, led by the US’s Taylor Knibb. One of the most consistent competitors on the international triathlon circuit, Knibb recently triumphed at both the Ibiza and Lake Las Vegas T100 Triathlon races, adding to her victory in San Francisco in June.

Knibb will face second-ranked Ashleigh Gentle from Australia. Since transitioning to long-distance racing in 2021, the two-time Olympian has demonstrated her prowess repeatedly.

Gentle has had an outstanding 2024 T100 World Tour season, clinching victories in both the Singapore and London races. Known as one of the best runners globally in triathlon, the Dubai course could be the perfect setting for Gentle to end her season triumphantly.

Close behind is Flora Duffy, Bermuda’s first and only Olympic gold medalist, who is making her eagerly awaited transition to long-course triathlon racing.

Another Olympian heading to Dubai is Switzerland’s Julie Derron. Derron has secured the runner-up position in three of the most significant races of the 2024 triathlon season—the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the Ibiza T100 Triathlon, and the Las Vegas T100 Triathlon.

Source: arabnews

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